Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-08-02

diate surroundings, and her future a q great
distributing point Is something uncertain.
There Is room, however, for a large place
here in addition to Kansas City, and the mere
look at the map will give you but little idea
OF the situation. -
Kansas is a good deal bigger than It looks.
1t Is more than twice as big as Ohio, almost
as large as Indiana and New York combined,
more than twice the size Of Virginia, Kentucky
or Maine, eleven times as big as Massachusetts,,
eight times as big as Vermont, ten times the
size Of New Jersey, about forty times as big
as Delaware and nearly seventy Eve times
the size Of Rhode Island. 1t is a PARALLEL.
gram, and going across it in a straight line
from east to west is 400 miles, and from its
northern to its southern boundary is 200
miles. 1t is In the very center Of the United
States, and it has, perhaps, as little bad land
now over 1,000, 900, and it could sustain T.
OO0,0 600 and be as thickly settled as Ohio and
New York are today. 1t is the fifth state of
the Union already in cattle, corn and rye,
Tad it stands ninth in hogs, horses, wheat and
coal 1t has eight colleges and 5000 school
houses, and its standard Of intelligence is as
high as that Of any state Of the Union. 1t is
made up Of the best blood of the eastern
states, and it seldom fails to make itself felt
when any big thing is going on. As to rail-
roads. it had forty miles just twenty-five
years ago. 1t had ten years later 2,15O. and
in 1856 its mileage amounted to A. 88. Within
the past six months 3,751 miles of new road
have been laid in the whole United States, and
OF this 692 miles. or more than one sixth, was
built in Kansas. OF the remainder Texas
built more than one-n ninth and the Indian
territory one-ninth. At present this building
IL going on, and see new roads everywhere
being laid As to the extent to which the
state has been developed, it had thirteen times
as many farms in 1880 as it had in 1880. and
it then had nearly $50, 600 farms. It's area
would make S,OOO,OOO farms of one section
each, supposing the whole state tillable, or g..
200, 1000 quarter sections
So
Kansas City is a little north of the middle
OF eastern Kansas, just across the Missouri
river in Missouri. 1t is a full eight hours
railroad ride by fast express to Wichita, and
the distance is 275 miles due southwest. The
ride is a glorious one. The road is well bal
lasted and the cars as good as you find in the
east. The country is fiat, or just slightly roll
ing, and the whole 275 miles is through a
settled region, the soil OF which is as rich as
that OF Egypt or Holland, and the crops of
which are now growing in all the luxuriance
Of these big Kansas farms. There is little
timber save along the banks OF the streams,
and no fences disfgure the landscape Here
and there you may see hedge, tall and green,
and now ard then line Of barbed wire, but
the worm like rails Of the east, or tie CHASTITY
skeleton stump fences OF New York, are alb
sent, and you ride apparently through the
great, green fields themselves. And such
fields! Have you ever seen $40 acres of corn
in its full beauty, just before it has begun to
turing Ii you have not you have missed one
OF the prettiest sights in nature The great
green, broad leaved stalks, as high as your
head, stand up so firm and strong; and look
ing from the car window the field stretches
away before your eve a great quilt of the
darkest and richest green, tufted with the
raised tassels of silver, which gently wave in
the breeze. This year, which is to be one of
the best that Kansas has ever known, the
crops seem to grow under your very eyes, and
l rode for miles through fields Of this kind on
both sides, this great field Of dark green ex-
tending almost as far as the eye could reach.
There was little grain, as the bugs have
wiped out wheat raising for the time in Kan
Sas, but the meadows were the greenest green,
the cattle were as fat as those which feed on
the rich grass of old England, and did not
see a bad crop in all the 500 miles which l
And then the soil
1t is black loan, of great depth and rich
beyond description. When first broken a
crop of sunfiowers springs up all over it, and
bis state Is the home of Oscar Wide's favor
ite. They are, l understand, easily eradi-
Gated, although l noted that where neither
crops nor grass was growing there were
whole fields filed with these yellow blossoms
In this trip L saw that the people and towns
Us well as the ground seemed prosperous. The
cars were full, the farm horses good and nearly
every farm had its windmill for the drawing
OF water. There are no barns to speak of in
this country, and a big Pennsylvania barn
would be curiosity. As to the richness Of
the crop and the beauty, it must be remem-
bored that this is the most beautiful time Of
the year for travelling and that this is an ex-
ceptionally good year. The character of the
soil, and the fact that all Of the land along
the 500 miles of railroad in Kansas which
went over was taken up, warrant the state
Inent that l went through what Kansas is
proud of calling herself, "The Garden Of the
West.n ~.
The Kansas towns along the Atcbison
Topeka and Santa Fe railroad are good,
There are many of them, and they all show
now buildings. OF Topeka have already
spoken. Its growth, added to the speculative
spirit OF the time, has given it a real estate
boom, which has now subsidized, leaving, / am
told, some farmers rich and the city wide
area OF unbuit upon lots Emporia, where
Senator Plumb lives, has grown considera-
bly,, and it has a number of new buildings
has 10000 people. Hutchinson is a
city OF 10000 OF more, with street car line.
and Wichita has had one of the most Won
derful booms on record. 1t is the biggest
city In Kansas, and perhaps the most re-
1t has had a wildly romantic his
tory during the past two years, and reserve
The story Of its joys and troubles, its real
estate craze and its actual condition, its Curl
Gus phases and its future prospects for nv
next letter. FRANK G.. CARPENTER.
Senior j. A. Olavarris.